Staffer of Republican lawmaker and friend robbed at gunpoint in DC: 'God protected us'

A staffer for Georgia Rep. Mike Collins spoke out about a harrowing attack he experienced in Washington, D.C. over the weekend when he and his friend were robbed at gunpoint. 

Octavian Miller, who works for Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., recalled the terrifying moment on "Fox & Friends."

"We were walking through Navy Yard when all of a sudden two masked individuals jump out of their car and start harassing us. And next thing we know, we have two guns pointed at our stomachs. One of them asked for my watch, which I wasn't ready to die for," Miller told co-host Lawrence Jones on Wednesday. 

Miller said his friend punched one of the suspects in the face before they fled. 

"I'm just happy that this could have ended very differently. Thankfully, these two individuals weren't looking for a murder charge," he continued. 

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Ultimately, Miller and his friend were able to fend off the robbers and were left unharmed. 

Washington D.C. police released an image of a suspect robbery vehicle from the Navy Yard robbery.  (Metropolitan Police Department )

Collins urged Congress to take action to curb the crime surge, arguing that voting Republicans into office would reverse the trend and make neighborhoods safer nationwide. 

"It is very much out of control," Collins said. "When we say a war zone, all you gotta do is ask the people around here, and they have polled constantly the citizens that live here in DC and no one feels safe. And this is a gun-free zone, and you just saw where two people got out with guns. What needs to happen is we have got to get back to a nation of law and order. We have gotten so far from that. We don't prosecute people, and in the city of D.C., we don't even pursue them."

"It's time to take a hard look at home rule here and put Congress back in control of this city," he continued. "This is the nation's capital where people come to visit, and when they don't feel safe, our staff doesn't feel safe. It's obvious that we have got a lack of just not just disrespect but just this disdain for the law."

Overall crime in the city is down by 16% as of Monday compared to the same time period in 2023, according to police data. Burglaries were down 23% and robberies declined 29%, according to police figures. 

Despite the statistics, there have already been 463 assaults with a dangerous weapon, 878 robberies, 2,130 motor vehicle thefts and 5,194 thefts overall reported this year in the city, according to the D.C. crime report. 

"You never think you would be the one in the next story headline, right? So I thank God that nothing else bad happened to us," Miller said. "But you hear about these stories, and it is quite unfortunate that we live in a city where it feels like you have to fend for yourself, so I'm just thankful that… God protected the two of us during this situation."

Police are still investigating the attack and have asked anyone with details connected to the incident to text the tipline at 50411. 

Fox News' Louis Casiano contributed to this report. 

Bailee Hill is an associate editor with Fox News Digital. Story ideas can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.